


Beneath the Stars

by Lockea



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Prostitution, BDSM, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Not RACK Compliant, Not Safe Sane and Consensual, Polyamory, Sexual Slavery, everyone is pan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 08:27:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8005693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lockea/pseuds/Lockea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The owners of Starlight have strange notions about the games we play. Most people play in the dark, behind closed doors, ashamed to let anyone in. The masters have different opinions. Games like ours, they say, are best played beneath the stars. </p><p>Or, that one where Cloud is sold to a brothel/dungeon to pay off a loan shark and finds it’s actually not completely the worst thing that could happen to him.</p><p>(Fusion with Hoshi no Yakata)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beneath the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I removed a couple of my fanfics from Archive because I'm either rewriting them or they weren't getting feedback so I'm not seeing any point to updating them. Since I rarely abandon things (only put them on hold) they'll continue to be updated -- but you're not likely to see them again. If that makes you sad, shoot me a message on tumblr and I'll link you to the dropbox so you can download the fanfiction.
> 
> Anyway, like Dying Light this is an id fic where I just wanted everyone to have sex with everyone else because reasons. Also BDSM. BDSM is a reason. Whereas Dying Light is about trying to shove as much angst down your throat as possible, this fanfic is just fun for me to write. I love giving Cloud a hard time, and Zack the excitable Dom makes me happy.
> 
> Okay, so reader input! (Spoilers for the next chapter) Cissnei and Zack make a bet at the beginning of chapter two. I won't tell you what the bet is about but the loser has to be submissive during a scene with the winner (Cissnei and Zack are both dominant). Being a Domme myself, of course I'm rooting for Cissnei to win the bet, as is Kattitina. But since I will happily write either scene, I'll throw it out to my audience. Should Cissnei win the bet and dom the fuck out of Zack, or should Zack win the bet and get Cissnei as his sub? Remember, vote's currently 2-0 in Cissnei's favor so weigh in on the comments. I'm going to take the tally tomorrow afternoon so you have just under 24 hours to submit a vote (I'm also going to take votes from tumblr too).

Everything that happened, happened so fast that Cloud felt like he was dreaming. One minute he was walking home from the bus stop. The next he was being jumped and dragged into the back of a van, a blindfold shoved over his eyes, his limbs restrained, and duct tape secured to his mouth. What followed was the most terrifying two days of his life. It had been the loan shark’s men who’d nabbed him, because Cloud was a whole two days late on his repayment (the feisty, sarcastic side of his brain wondered what the big deal was, the more logical wished he’d read the fine print on that stupid contract). The loan shark sold him to an auction house to make up for the debt, the auction house kept him blind folded and bound for hours before throwing him up on a stage under the brilliant lights that made him sweat and burn. Most terrifying had been the price he went for; second most was not knowing who he’d been sold to.

He'd slept fitfully in yet another car, still bound but hungry now, the duct tape replaced by a foamy ball gag and the ropes with handcuffs and leather shackles around his ankles. It was hours later before the car stopped moving, far outside Midgar, possibly on another continent even. They hadn’t removed the blindfold or the bindings as he was picked up and carried up several flights of stairs before being placed on a bed. He’d fallen asleep several minutes later to the quiet in the house.

Now he was awake again, the blindfold, gag, and chains that had made him so uncomfortable removed. Cloud sat up and observed the room around him. It was a bedroom, economical but opulent at the same time, from the wainscoting on the walls to the simple chandler and double doors that opened onto a balcony overlooking a beautiful garden. Cloud tried the doors, only to find they locked with a key that he didn’t have, same as the door to his room, which was locked from the outside.

He was trapped in that dream-like state where nothing felt real, not what had happened or the room he was in. Cloud wanted to wake up – now – and be back home with his mother while she died slowly but surely of the sickness in her lungs. His mother! She was going to be so worried that he didn’t come home. Cloud searched the room frantically, looking for anything he could use to escape and finding nothing. He ignored the growing urgency in his bowels and the growling of his stomach as he hunted, until he was forced to retreat to the adjacent bathroom to relieve himself and continue the hunt. There was a simple shower stall and tub in the bathroom, a vanity and sink and a toilet – nothing else. Cloud wasn’t sure he could use anything in the bathroom, nor did he get a chance to because over the sound of the toilet flushing he heard the door to the bedroom open.

Cloud stayed in the bathroom, not daring to peak out as he heard the door lock again. It sounded like whoever had opened the door had left just as quickly, leaving Cloud alone. So, carefully, he peaked out of the bathroom.

He was not alone. Seated in the chair beside his bed was a dark haired man around the same age as him, dressed in tight black and white leather, long jagged hair tied up in a high ponytail. He was facing away from the bathroom, but on the bed Cloud could see a tray containing toast, syrup, fresh fruit, and a glass of juice.

“Come out.” The man said, not turning around. “I won’t bite you – unless you want me too, but I figure you don’t.” He chuckled to himself and Cloud frowned, stepping out of the bathroom. He stopped two feet behind the dark haired man.

“Where am I?” Cloud asked.

“Starlight.” The man answered, looking over his shoulder at Cloud. He had startlingly blue eyes, almost violet in this light. Beneath his left eye two thin scars crisscrossed his cheeks. “You don’t remember? You ran afoul of the wrong people, my friend.”

 _Like you?_ Cloud thought but didn’t say. He inched closer to the bed.

“Sit.” The man said. “Eat. I doubt they fed you at the auction house, did they?”

“No.” Cloud answered and sat down on the edge of the bed. He reached for the bowl of fruit, which was actually a berry mix. It was delicious and his stomach growled loudly. He had just enough time to wonder if he should really trust these people before he decided that no matter what he didn’t have a choice, did he?

“It’s not drugged.” As if the man had read his mind, he answered Cloud’s unspoken question. “Some of the houses, I’ve heard, will do that to the new ones. Makes it easier, some say. The Masters here wouldn’t abide it though. I’d get kicked out if I slipped any drugs in your food.”

Cloud looked down at the food, not really reassured by the man in front of him. “Where am I?” He asked again, in between bites of toast.

“Starlight.” The man answered again, as if he hadn’t said the same damn thing not even five minutes before. Cloud couldn’t help but role his eyes, to which the man just grinned. “I can’t tell you anything more than that right now. You’ll have to prove you won’t run off at the first opportunity before you’ll even be allowed outside. We’re in the middle of the woods, so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you like being monster chow.”

The woods? That meant they must be pretty far from Midgar since there was nothing but wasteland around the city. Cloud had finished eating and was sipping his juice as he contemplated the information the man had given him. “Who are you?”

“Name’s Zack. If you’re done eating, I’ll introduce you to the others. I think everyone but Reno’s awake right now. He had kind of a long night so I think he’ll probably sleep until we open up tonight.”

Cloud didn’t know nor did he care about whoever it was Zack was talking about, but he nodded and set the juice back on the tray. “Let’s go.” He said, eager to get out of the room. Zack stood with a shake of his head.

“Not so fast, spikey.” He reached into the pocket on his tight pants and pulled out a thin strip of black material with a D-ring in the center. At the ends was an integrated lock. A collar. “Gotta put this on before I can let you out of the room.”

Cloud scowled. “No.” He said. “Should’ve put it on me while I was asleep. I’m sure as hell not going to put that on now.” It was bad enough he was waking up – and not at home – to the circumstances he’d found himself in. Suddenly desperate, Cloud tried to make an appeal to the man. “Listen, I shouldn’t be here. I borrowed the money to get medical treatment for my mom and I was only two days late on the payment. I have to get home to my mom because she needs me to take care of her.”

Zack’s eyes softened and Cloud thought maybe he was appealing to the man but – “I’m sorry to hear that.” Zack said softly. “But you owe a debt and you have to pay it off. You signed your body over as collateral.”

Cloud knew that. He knew that when he was asked if he had anything to put as collateral on the loan and he’d had nothing – except his body. It wasn’t exactly unheard of or illegal under the law to sell yourself into debt bondage, but Cloud had been desperate and so sure he could make the payments.

Zack sighed. “the Masters have given you a grace period to learn the layout and procedures of the house, but tomorrow night there will be a party and you’re going to be the star of the show, whether you like it or not. So the way I see it is you can put on the collar and come meet everyone now or you can sulk in here until you wind up on the stage all alone tomorrow.”

Cloud’s heart froze in his chest. “What?” He whispered, voice tiny and oh he hated how frightened it made him to think about being up on yet another stage. Hearing voices talk over him again. _Being sold_.

“Listen, it’s not as bad as you think. The collar’s just a tracker with some neat features to it but it’s not the end of the world. Trust me, there are worse places to be than Starlight.”

Cloud didn’t believe him. He’d been sold to a brothel (even if Zack hadn’t told him, he wasn’t a complete idiot – he knew what a house was code for) and that was pretty damn high on the worst places to be list, if not at the top. Why couldn’t he have been sold into manual labor instead? “Name one.” He challenged.

“I can name several, but since you only asked for one, the Tower comes to mind.” Zack shot back. He sounded pretty disgruntled at the moment before he calmed. “Listen, kid, nobody’s going to chain you down to a bed and fuck you until you can’t see straight, which with your attitude I can definitely see happening if you’d been bought by the Tower at auction. I won’t say this is the best place in the world to be but it’s a place and you make of it what you can. Now, what’s it gonna be? Put on the collar or stay here locked up in this room?”

In the end Cloud chose the collar, the material stretchy and loose around his neck when Zack snapped the lock in place. “Only the Masters of the house have a key to this.” Zack explained, “and while it can be cut off, material like this is self-healing so it come off easy. Plus, you don’t want to find out what will happen if you try to take it off.” Collar in place, Cloud retreated back to the bathroom to take a look in the mirror. His blond hair was mussed, no surprise, but he didn’t really have any bruises or lacerations on his body even from the scuffle when he was taken. The collar was stark against his pale skin but looked more like a choker than a slave’s collar. Returning to the main room, he saw Zack smiling at him from over by the door. He knocked once and the door opened revealing a tall, burly bald man wearing a similar leather ensemble as Zack, except this was all black with a spiked leather collar around his neck. Zack’s neck, Cloud realized, did not bear a collar of any sort, which could mean anything really, but mostly that he was hear of his own volition, unlike Cloud.

“Heya Rude!” Zack greeted cheerfully. “Cloud,” – when did Zack learn his name? “This is Rude. He handles security in the house and acts like a sort of bouncer when he’s not taking clients. Rude, this is the new kid.”

Rude nodded at him before turning away and heading down the hall. Zack, perpetually happy, grinned at Cloud. “He doesn’t talk much.”

Cloud scoffed. He could see that. Zack followed after Rude down a hallway lined with doors into a grand foyer area with a large staircase in front of a pair of open doors, a balcony circling the upper side of the room. “We were in the residential wing which is where we all sleep when we don’t have clients. This is the foyer where we greet guests. It opens up into the entertainment space on the right and the living space on the left.”

Sure enough, Zack led him down the flight of stairs and pointed to the right where a grand ball room was set up with tables and chairs, all radiating the same opulence as the rest of the house. Whoever had built this brothel had taken care to cater to the upper echelons. Instead of entering the ball room, Zack led him off to the left, where the door was locked with a fingerprint scanner, which Zack used to open the lock.

“You’ll be registered to the living space once you can be trusted to walk around the house without an escort.” Inside, the space was still nice, but more lived in – the furniture chosen for comfort not opulence. There was a large sectional facing a flat screen TV, the sound of a movie coming through the surround sound speakers. On the sectional were two women and a man, lying practically entwined with one another The woman in the middle of the other two had curly red hair falling to her shoulders, and her skirt was red leather to match, unlike everyone else Cloud had seen so far, she was wearing a black cotton tank top. Her companions were a woman with short blond hair and a black collar similar to Cloud’s who looked to be sleeping on the woman’s lap. She was wearing a purple negligee, her matching underwear clearly visible. The man had long black hair in a low tail and wore nothing but a pair of tight shorts, skin an olive color a few shades darker than Zack’s own.

The redhead looked up with a smile when she saw Zack. “New kid’s awake.” She announced, nudging he blond.

“He’s not my sister so I don’t care.” The blond muttered sleepily, turning over on her side, facing the back of the couch.

The red haired one sighed. “Forgive Ilene. The Masters were at the auction house following up on a rumor that her sister Elena might be there. Obviously she wasn’t.”

Zack said, “Cissnei, Ilene, Tseng – this is Cloud. Cloud, Cissnei and Ilene are currently the only women at Starlight since we cater mostly to gay men. Tseng’s the oldest one here – even older than the Masters, so if you have a problem, he’s the one who can fix it.”

“Isaac.” The man, Tseng, said. “Don’t go spreading rumors.”

Zack just grinned back. “Not a rumor if it’s true. Anyway, any of you seen Reno? Or the rest of the posse for that matter? I’m taking Cloud around to meet everyone.”

Cissnei shrugged. “Reno and Rod had clients until early this morning so they’re sleeping in. Sebastian’s out with Master Sephiroth this morning and last time I saw Essai he was in the back yard.”

“Well that makes them all virtually unreachable. Sorry Spikey, guess you’re just gonna have to meet them later today when they finally make their appearances. Where’s Masters Angeal and Genesis?”

Tseng said, “Master Angeal is in the kitchen. Master Genesis is in his office. He probably wouldn’t mind being bothered though, if he hasn’t already left his office. He’s organizing the kid’s debut.”

Reminded again of the inevitable, Cloud ducked his head and clenched his fists, anger rising in his chest. This was so unfair! Why was this happening to him? He’d known the dangers of signing the contract for the loan, but he didn’t expect the vicious way it had all gone down, without warning to either himself or his mother.

The others either didn’t notice his discomfort or pretended not to because Cloud found himself swept away through a far door and into what looked like a casually set up dining room. Through the dining room was a large gourmet kitchen, the size of which could easily have fit most of Cloud’s apartment in it. In fact, everything about this place was hugely, wastefully lavish. Inside, seated at a breakfast table big enough for four people, were two men. One of the men was dressed in casual clothes – jeans and a t-shirt similar to Cloud’s attire. It was jarring compared to the get-ups everyone else sported, and even next to his partner, who was dressed in red leather pants, straps crisscrossing his bare chest. The casually dressed man glanced up at them when they entered, smiling as the conversation they’d been engaged in ceased.

“What timing.” He greeted when Cloud and Zack stepped into the kitchen. “We were just discussing our newest worker.”

“Master Angeal, Master Genesis.” Zack greeted cheerfully. To Cloud he said, “Master Genesis owns Starlight. He’s the one who purchased your contract.”

Cloud said nothing, knowing what was expected of him – gratitude – and not wanting to give it. Zack had told him he could have ended up someplace worse, but Cloud failed to see how it could be worse. He was trapped in a brothel and the man in front of him was the reason why he was here, the same man who was apparently planning to sell him to the highest bidder. At least, Cloud was grateful he wasn’t a virgin. He knew how sex worked, so he was sure he’d survive this. He needed to survive this so he could find a way to escape back to his mom. The worst thing in the world would be if she passed away while he was trapped here. At least she had the money from the loan to help her make it through.

The red haired man in the red leather, Master Genesis, blinked slowly at Cloud, an almost cat-like grin spreading across his face. “Nothing to say?” He asked mildly. “You’re more the stoic type, aren’t you? Didn’t say a word up on that stage either.”

Cloud wanted to smack the arrogant man, but he kept his silence and his hands to himself.

“Genesis.” Master Angeal said warningly. To Zack he asked, “What brings you here? Looking for one of us?”

Zack shook his head. “No sir, just giving Cloud a tour of the house. Although I did want to ask if he’s attending tonight’s show before his debut on stage tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Master Genesis said quickly. “I’ve already placed all the calls out letting our regulars and our VIPs know we’ve got a new one for sale tomorrow. Those who are interested will want to see him before they bid on him.”

Cloud was getting tired of being talked about like he was some sort of commodity, even as the rational part of his brain realized that he’d signed over his body so that was exactly what he was now – a commodity belonging to these men.

As if this was the most normal thing in the world, Zack simply nodded. “Anything in particular I should put him in?”

The two masters of the house regarded Cloud appraisingly before sharing a look with one another. It made Cloud feel distinctly like an insect under a microscope. “White.” Master Angeal said finally. “I think it will look very good on him. He’s got quite the baby face.”

Master Genesis said, “He’ll be quite pretty when he cries.”

*~*~*

Cloud wanted to cry. When Zack returned him to his room, took the tray from breakfast and left, Cloud curled up on the bed and pulled the duvet over his head, blocking out the light from the afternoon sun. Only when he was secured away from the world did he squeeze his eyes shut even as a few traitorous tears leaked out. He wanted to go home. He wanted to wake up and be with his mother and not here where people talked over him and planned to sell him to the highest bidder. He didn’t want to be a whore – wasn’t a whore. His few and very far between sexual encounters had all been mutual, a desire for connection, for experimentation. This would be none of that and Cloud didn’t know if he could handle it.

He managed a few hours of restless sleep before the door to his room unlocked and Zack entered. He was dressed much as he had been that morning, but now a long six-foot bull whip was curled around his shoulder, a pair of leather gloves hanging from his belt. “Hey sunshine!” He greeted Cloud, gripping the edge of the duvet and pulling it back to expose Cloud, still dressed in the clothes he’d been sold in. “Time to get dressed. We’ve already got people arriving and show starts in an hour.”

“Do I really have to go down there?” Cloud asked plaintively.

“Spike.” Zack replied. “Nothing’s going to happen to you tonight. You’re just going to sit with the Masters and watch the show, maybe make small talk with a few clients. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like one enough to convince them to buy your first night.”

“I don’t even want to have a first night.” Cloud admitted.

“Listen, even if you came here willingly you’d still have to go through a first night.” Zack wasn’t unsympathetic, but there was still a certain amount of distance in his words that said he wasn’t going to be pushed around by Cloud. He walked over to the wardrobe against the far wall, near the bathroom and opened the double doors, revealing an array of clothing – mostly leather. Since almost everyone Cloud had encountered in the house had worn leather, Cloud expected that to be what Zack pulled out of the closet. Instead he reached into one of the lower drawers and withdrew a lacy, flimsy looking pile of white clothing. Returning to the bed, he laid the clothes – if they could be called that – out onto the bed. White boy shorts with lace paneling on the side and what could charitably be called a vest – sleeveless lace material that buttoned at the throat. Cloud stared at it like it was going to bite him.

The worst part were the shoes that Zack brought out next. Heels, stilettos, really, that buckled around the ankles with a similar integrated lock as the one on his collar. “Hell no.” Cloud spat, backing far away from the dark haired man. “I’m not wearing that.”

“You don’t really have a choice.” Zack pointed out. “Make it difficult and I’ll call in Rude to help me get you dressed, or even Master Angeal. Trust me, you don’t want Master Angeal to have to help get you dressed.”

Cloud warred for a minute between disobedience and just putting the damn clothes on. He’d seen just how bulky Master Angeal and Rude were – easily the two most muscular men in the household. He didn’t stand a chance against them, being a downright skinny kid compared to them. For what felt like an eternity, he glared at Zack who met his gaze evenly, never looking away until Cloud finally glanced down. “Fine.” He groused.

Zack smiled. “It’s going to be all right. Tomorrow will be your first night and then we’ll start training you. You won’t have to take any clients until you finish training and you’re ready.”

“What if I’m never ready?” Cloud shot back, even as he pulled his dirty, sweat soaked t-shirt up over his head.

“Shower first.” Zack ordered, pointing at the bathroom. “And if you’re never ready then you’re only going to keep accruing debt. You owe a debt to the house and you have to take clients to pay it off.”

Cloud thought about Zack’s words while he showered, washing out three days’ worth of grime and filth. Showering made him feel better – a little – but he doubted he’d ever be happy with this situation. When he emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, Zack was nowhere in immediate sight but the door to the balcony was flung wide, letting in the cool breeze of an early autumn night. Moments later, Zack emerged from the balcony. Cloud dressed quickly, wincing at the feel of silk and lace against his body. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable attire he could have worn. He eyed the shoes in disdain.

Zack chuckled when he saw Cloud’s expression. “Ever worn heels before?” He asked. At Cloud’s head shake he added, “Don’t worry, you just have to make it down the stairs. I’ll help you get the hang of walking.”

“I just… Why do they have locks on them?”

“Aesthetic.” Zack shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave the keys on your nightstand so you can get undressed easily once the show’s over.”

Once the heels had been locked into place by Zack, the older man slowly drew Cloud to his feet and with careful footsteps led Cloud out of the room. Once again, Rude was at the door, though after giving Cloud a brief once-over the man turned and departed.

This time when they entered the foyer, they stepped into the grand ballroom, Zack escorting Cloud on his shoulder like a lady. Cloud didn’t protest – the heels made him almost as tall as Zack and he was having trouble managing them without support. The hall was far from full yet it bustled with activity. Men and the occasional woman dressed in business and evening wear mingled about, seated at various tables. In the front of the room was a dais which Zack led Cloud up to. At a table closest to the center of the action sat Masters Angeal and Genesis, along with a man in black leather including a long coat, his silver hair braided down his back, a black metal collar around his throat. The three were accompanied by a blond haired man in a white business suit who smiled at them as Zack and Cloud approached the table.

“Masters, Vice President.” Zack greeted cordially. “I’ve brought Cloud with me.”

The blond haired man’s smile widened. “Oh, Genesis, you weren’t lying when you said he’d be just my type.”

Playing the part of a gentleman, Zack pulled out the chair between Master Genesis and the blond haired man and gestured for him to sit. Cloud sank into the chair gratefully, but his nerves spiked when Zack just nodded to the table and walked away, disappearing from view.

Master Genesis smirked. “The pretty ones always are.” He stated. “We were quite lucky to have found him. We almost lost him to the Tower and _that_ would have been bad for business.”

“Indeed.” The man seemed distracted as he reached out and took hold of Cloud’s wrist, drawing his arm near him as he bent forward to kiss his hand. “That really would have been a pity. You see, my father rather likes the Tower, which is why I patronize Starlight instead. I’d have never found you there.”

It suddenly dawned on Cloud who this man was. Vice President Rufus Shinra, son of President Rupert Shinra of the ShinRa company. One of the most powerful men on the planet. Cloud froze, caught staring into blue eyes as Rufus watched understanding dawn on him.

“Well, darling? What do you think? How’d you like to become my new favorite here at Starlight? It’ll make Tseng and Reno jealous, but there’s always room to share.” Rufus Shinra asked him.

Cloud blushed and looked away, wanting to say no but worried about the consequences. Master Angeal and Master Genesis and the unknown man were all watching him. Eventually, Rufus sighed and released his hand, leaning back against his seat. “Doesn’t talk much, does he?”

“All the more fun for you, I’m sure.” Master Genesis retorted. “Didn’t say a word up on the auction block, you know. But I’m sure he’ll be more vocal tomorrow.”

That was it! No matter what Cloud was not going to say a word to anyone but Zack from here on out. He hated people talking over his head about how vocal or not he was. It was driving him crazy!

Conversation turned then to idle matters that didn’t concern Cloud, so he glanced around. The hall was now filled with people, some of whom glanced surreptitiously over in Cloud’s direction. He wondered where Zack or, hell, the other workers went. He’d have killed for a familiar face right about now but all around him were strangers. A few came up to talk to Master Angeal or Master Genesis or sometimes the silver haired man across from him, usually asking about Cloud, but only Rufus had actively engaged him.

Eventually, the lights in the hall dimmed and the sound of chatter died away as a spot light turned on the dais. Cloud finally saw Zack again as the man climbed the back stairs up to the top of the platform, escorting a man in a red leather thong, his long red hair falling loose about his face. Like Cloud, he wore the black cloth-like collar with the d-ring in the front, a ring from which a metal chain was clipped on, the other end wrapped around Zack’s hand. The man was led to the edge of the stage where Cloud now noticed a ring hook anchored into the floor, his collar lead attached to the floor. Whatever happened next Cloud didn’t know, but the loose, stretchy material of the collar became rigid and tight. This close to the stage Cloud could hear the redhead choke briefly before catching his breath.

“It’s a smart material in those collars of yours.” Rufus explained. He must have noticed Cloud’s hand when it instinctively reached up to touch the collar. “A small amount of current through it and the material becomes like metal, rigid and unmovable. You can’t even feel the current in your body.”

Cloud nodded absently. Up on stage, hooks lowered from the ceiling and Zack had attached them to the cuffs on the red head’s arm, raising them again so that the man was forced to bow at the waist to keep from choking against is collar, but unable to bow any lower lest he pull on his arms. It was a cruel position and as Zack uncoiled the whip over his shoulder Cloud felt dread rising in his chest.

He’d suspected, but he hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself until now, as Zack lashed out against the bound redhead and the crowd applauded when the man began to cry, as grunts of pain became screams.

Cloud hadn’t just been sold to a brothel – he’d been sold to a dungeon.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me chilling on [tumblr](http://lockea.tumblr.com). Or you can check out my [writing blog](http://storytellerlockea.tumblr.com) and get all the good stuff from me early on. Sad I deleted fics from Archive? You can find them on that blog.
> 
> Want to see more of this fic and keep it on Archive? Feedback! Feel concerned about commenting -- it's cool. If you have a tumblr, just like the post and I'll know you want me to keep going. Or log in and leave a kudos (I don't count kudos from guests because of reasons that are too long to explain here). Although, I'm always happy when I wake up in the morning and see comments.


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